Insomnia

Are you making these four sleep-depriving mistakes that keep you from getting in a good night’s rest?

Mistake #1: Thinking about all the things you have to do tomorrow.

What to do instead:Make a list, before you go to bed. No, really… Just write it down so you know you won’t forget. As you write, breathe and say “I can take care of this tomorrow.”

Mistake #2: Drinking caffeine too close to bedtime.

What to do instead:Know your cut off time. This is different for everyone, and figuring it out takes a little effort. And let’s face it – limiting caffeine is a really good idea. Pay attention to the last time you consume coffee, soda or tea (don’t forget black and green tea have a lot of caffeine) and cut back by two hours each day until you find a time, when you are not wired before sleep. You may be surprised.

Mistake #3: Going non-stop all day long.

What to do instead:Take a nap. Power naps are really…well, powerful. A 20 to 30 minute nap can make all the difference: you can boost your energy, get your mental focus back, increase memory and creativity.

Mistake #4: Taking the problems of the day to bed with you.

What to do instead:Use EFT (Emotional Freedom Techniques) to resolve any uncomfortable feelings left over from the day. EFT is a powerful self-help tool that is easy to learn and can quickly neutralize disruptive feelings and anchor peace, joy or any other feeling you might desire.

Then there are those times, when it’s really hard to turn off the thinking part of your brain. You worry or jump from one topic to the next, and it seems you just can’t stop. Your brain may be having trouble shifting into slower brainwave states. It’s the slower brainwaves that are the most healing. Deep, dreamless sleep is needed for your body to turn on the most powerful part of your immune system. Mounting daily stress and age can affect your brain’s ability to shift down into these healing frequencies.

If your brain is stuck in overdrive, and all you do it is worry, toss and turn, or you just want to make sure you are accessing those healing frequencies, vibroacoustic therapy and brainwave entrainment may be just what you need.

To learn more about how you can have a more restful sleep call Twin Ponds Integrative Health Center at 610.395.3355.

Have you attended a yoga class that didn’t feel right for you? Did you feel like you were too old, too stiff, or in too much pain to do what the teacher was teaching the class to do or what the person beside you was capable of doing? Maybe you even felt too intimidated to try a class!

Here are some tips to have a good yoga experience:

1. Spend some time looking for the right yoga class. Do some research. Audition
different teachers, and see if they’re right for you! Simply going to whatever yoga studio is closest to home or work and taking from whichever teacher teaches at a convenient time, probably won’t give you the best experience.

2. There needs to be a mutual respect between you and the teacher. This is true for everyone, old or young, male or female, slim or overweight, flexible or stiff, healthy, or ill. Find the teacher who makes you feel accepted. Do some research. Audition different teachers and see if they’re right for you!

Finding the right yoga teacher is similar to looking for a therapist or medical doctor; you find out pretty quickly when you click with someone.

3. It is also very important to be in the right class as far as the degree of challenge that is being taught. Some people may be more up for a fast paced, more challenging class. Others may need a class that is more gentle, slower, and less challenging.

If you don’t have a qualified teacher who is right for you, you can get injured and stop attending, Don’t let this happen to you! Make sure you look forward to your class and benefit from this wonderful mind, body, spiritual practice.

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Our yoga instructors at Twin Ponds Center teach at different levels. We have classes for beginning students, experienced students, and classes especially for those who have physical challenges.

A good friend and business colleague, Wendy Kershner, just sent me this wonderful story that I’d like to paraphrase for you. The story comes from a book with the above title written by Gregory Knox James (2001).

As the story goes, during the colonization of India, the British settled in Calcutta. They missed their game of golf tremendously so they decided to build a course. Once it was ready for play, the monkeys moved in as this area of India was home to many of them. They quickly disrupted the golfer’s pleasure by picking up the ball after it was hit and moving it.

Not to be undone the British built a high wall around the golf course to keep the mischievous monkeys out. But, this was just a game for the monkeys – scaling the wall, was no problem! The Brits then decided to trap the monkeys and transport them far away. This was impractical as there were far too many monkeys, so they gave up.

Then came a creative thought. They decided to change the game. The new rules were that you would play the ball where the monkey dropped it. This turned out to be a “win” for both the golfers and the monkeys.

Maybe you have noticed that life does not always go as we plan. Others do not want to follow our script or direction. They seem to have a mind of their own. How dare they? Anyone with children, a spouse or significant other probably sees this playing out quite often.

So what do you do when the monkey drops the ball far from where you hit it? Do you grumble, get angry, sulk or worry yourself sick? Or do you make lemonade, when everything is turning up lemons?

I’ll suggest that you create some “space” in your brain so that creative solutions can come. An excellent way to do that is with a meditation practice. Relieve the pressure of daily life and you might just find that life is good.

Greg Schweitzer, Director of Stress Reduction Resources and Effortless Meditation™
Instructor for more than 30 years